1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an imaging apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-180815 discusses an imaging apparatus that uses a focal plane shutter and an electronic shutter in combination with each other to execute an imaging operation. The conventional imaging apparatus starts an exposure operation by using an electronic shutter function of an image sensor. In addition, the conventional imaging apparatus controls a blade group constituted by a mechanical shutter to end an exposure operation.
In the above-described conventional imaging apparatus, after locking a drive lever by energizing an electromagnet, a set lever starts driving a mirror in a mirror-up direction. After the mirror-up operation, a blade lever is unlocked and an aperture formed by a blade group is opened. Subsequently, when the energization of the electromagnet is discontinued at a predetermined timing, the drive lever and the blade lever are driven simultaneously in a direction of closing the aperture.
However, in the imaging apparatus discussed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-180815, the blade group hops when the blade lever is unlocked and the aperture by the blade group is opened. Similarly, during a mirror-up operation, the mirror hops.
In general, the urging force (spring force) of a blade return spring which energizes a blade lever in a direction of opening an aperture by a blade group is smaller than the spring force of a spring that drives a mirror in the mirror-up operation. Accordingly, it takes a long time in cancelling the hop. However, in the imaging apparatus discussed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-180815, the blade lever is unlocked and the aperture by the blade group is opened after the mirror-up operation is started.
Accordingly, the exposure operation by the electronic shutter function cannot be started until the hop of the blade group ends even after the hop of the mirror has ended. Therefore, a time period from a timing of disappearance of a viewfinder image to a timing of start of exposure may become long.